on this saturday night suspicious explosions along the charity race course in new jersey moments before thousands of runners were set to take off. tonight the fbi taking over the investigation. deadly rampage. an officer ambushed on patrol by a gunman in philel dead and several people injured after a chaotic chase. poll after poll shows tightening race donald trump rallies his supporters call thing on hillary clinton's body guards to drop their guns. clinton surrogates pouncing on the comments in battle ground states. faster flights. the familiar technology that could cut down the time you spend on airplanes. and rocket man.

succeeds where his hero could not. "nightly news" begins now. >> announcer: from nbc news world headquarters in new york. this is "nbc nightly news" with jose diaz balart. good evening. we begin with a terrifying moment what was supposed to be a military charity run in new jersey. a pipe bomb type device ploex edded on the smalltown in the now federal agents are taking over the investigation searching for a suspect and motive. amid the chaos, there is concern it could have been much worse. tammy lightner is in seaside park, new jersey. >> reporter: a massive response on the board walk of seaside park, new jersey. >> it's scary. so scary. nowhere is safe anymore.

>> reporter: an explosion rocking the course of a ma roan corps. charity race just as 5,000 people were getting ready to run. >> the race is cancelled for today. >> reporter: the blast going off inside a cash can -- trash can. securities used robots to secure the scene and investigating the device they say was attached to others that didn't go off. the fbi now taking over. >> they have the device isolated. they're examining it to determine how sophistid element are. >> reporter: an anchor from cable station 12 news new jersey interviewed a local resident. >> i heard an explosion. thought it was the start of the race. >> it was enough to make you step back. >> reporter: luckily there were few runners the area because the race had been delayed. >> if the race did go off on time, there would have been a lot of injuries.

york central park after stepping on what was later determined to be a homemade explosive. this explosion at a raing event a grim reminder of the terror attack at the boston marathon that killed three and wounded 264 in 2013. today an intense investigation in seaside park after a blast. residents are thankful it wasn't much worse. >> reporter: residents evacuated early this allowed to return home about 20 minutes ago. as the fbi joint terrorism task force takes the leads on the investigation, they're asking anyone with information to come forward. jose? >> tammy, thank you very much. joining me now is justice correspondent pete williams. pete? >> jose, the fbi now has the lead on the investigation. we're told it's only for the obvious reasons. one the apparent target. a marine corps. related charity race. having the fbi take charge provides a way to coordinate the law enforcement agencies

say tonight because there's any evidence of terrorism they haven't disclosed. authorities say the device was composed of three galvanize metal pipes bunted together and set off by a timer. only one pipe bomb went off. investigators have a substantial amount of evidence left behind to examine. that's a boost. unfortunately instructions for how to make a bomb like this are widely available. the al qaeda magazine published a few, f for now investigators are canvassing the area for surveillance videos. as of tonight no advisories are coming out from homeland security and won't be until there's a better idea of who is behind it. >> pete williams, thank you. the late word of a devastating bus crash in north carolina. dozens of passengers were injured when a charter bus apparently struck an overpass and crashed into the median on interstate 74 this afternoon. no word who was on board the bus or on

new developments tonight in a deadly shooting rampage that unfolded over several blocks in philadelphia. police identified the gunman they say killed one woman and injured several other people, including two veteran offer -- officers. there's a new clue into the suspect's motive. we have the story. >> reporter: chaos on the streets of philadelphia. police say 25-year-old nicholas glenn who had a criminal record went on a shooting spree locations. >> he was hell bent on hurting a lot of people. we aren't absolutely clear why. >> reporter: surveillance video shows him calmly walking the streets as police pursue him. it started before midnight near the university of pennsylvania campus when sergeant sylvia young was ambushed while sitting in her police car.

bulletproof vest. >> it's miraculous she's alive. >> reporter: he headed to a bar where he shot two more people. >> the shooter came from here. >> he came down the block. >> reporter: police say glenn used one woman as a shield before shooting her in the leg. a security guard was also shot. >> in here and then they -- >> reporter: the neighbor poured water on the sidewalk so her 8-year-old son wouldn't see the blood. >> were you scared? >> yes. shots and i saw a bunch of cops running down the street. running. >> reporter: the suspect fled two more blocks and fired into a white car wounding a man and killing a 25-year-old woman. finally, in an alley, glenn was shot and killed by police but not before wounding another officer. police say a rambling letter found in the crime scene may provide some clues, but the motive remains unclear. in that letter, glenn

frustrations with his probation officer and police. five victims are recovering this evening a the local hospital. residents say they're shaken. >> thank you. now to the race for the white house with the first presidential debate hosted by our own lester holt just nine days away. donald trump is at the center of a new fire storm. trump suggested hillary clinton's secret service agents should disarm and, quote, "see what happens." polls tighten in battle ground states. clinton is counting well-known surrogates to mobilize voters. katy tur has more. >> reporter: donald trump returning to a founding theme of his campaign. the threat of violence from illegal immigration, consoling families of victims in houston. >> not one more american life should be given up in the name of open borders. >> reporter: last night in miami, trump falsely telling supporters hillary clinton is trying to take away their guns. so they should take away hers. disarming the agents

happens to her. take their guns away! okay. it would be very dangerous. >> reporter: clinton campaign manager responding "this kind of talk should be out of bounds for a presidential candidate." supporters, though, buying in. >> she wants to feel safe with arms but we can't protect ourselves. >> at the end of the day -- >> reporter: it's not the first time trump has implied violence against his democratic rival. >> if she gets to pick her you can do, folks. all though the second amendment people maybe there is. i don't know. >> reporter: the democrats were in full battle mode are seizing on trump's latest phase. >> president barack obama was born in the united states. period. >> reporter: elizabeth warren blasting trump today in battle ground ohio. >> trump has more support from area

leaders of his own party. >> that is nothing more than racism. >> reporter: tonight clinton and president obama who have campaigned together are in washington speaking at a congressional black caucus foundation dinner hoping to mobilize african-americans. all while trump counts on his own base. >> donald trump's base are white voters, white voters, and white voters. >> reporter: both candidates now pushing buttons to secure their voters and grab at those still who could determine the winner. katy tur nbc news washington. and a programming note. democratic vice presidential nominee senator tim kaine will be chuck todd's guest tomorrow on nbc. to syria where the latest cease-fire could be on the verge of unrivaling. u.s. officials tell nbc news it's possible that american bombs mistaken by killed syrian government troops today. if confirmed, it would be the first american strike on syrian

5-year-old conflict. jim miklaszewski is at the white house with the lastest. >> reporter: officials tell nbc news that it is possible that u.s. bombers inadvertently attacked syrian forces inside eastern syria today. according to u.s. officials, the u.s. forces had been tracking and targeted what they thought to be isis fighters. they informed the russians of the pending attack and got no word of any syrian forces in the area. once thebi began, the russians informed the u.s. that those attacks may have struck syrian forces killing dozens of syrian fighters. the u.s. immediately halted the attacks and launched an investigation. u.s. officials fear, however, that the russians may attempt to use this incident as propaganda, which could threatening the current cease-fire. >> jim miklaszewski, thank you. the battle against the zika virus is growing in south

wided the transmission zone. >> reporter: tonight an expanded zone in the fight against zika. the area of active transmission in miami beach now tripled after five now cases of the virus are identified. florida's governor once again calling for federal assistance personnel. >> it's frustrating because the federal government hasn't been a good partner. we asked the cdc on more lab support. they gave us some this week. support is crucial in tackling backlog of zika tests. residents needing results. for expect assistant mothers, it's a nerve-wracking delay. >> you're requiring us to take the test, give us the results as quickly as you can. >> reporter: new rounds of aerial spraying are scheduled for sunday. despite concerns from residents. protesters disrupted a city's commissioners

the spraying and we go hard core on the other alternatives. >> reporter: officials say aggressive efforts including spraying have proved successful. they expect monday to lift the zone and advisories across the bay and the wynwood neighborhood where the first locally transmitted cases in the nation occurred. a bit of encouraging news as a new zika battle ground and new cases emerge. siri sara day lot of nbc a celebration for joe paterno. the first major tribute since paterno was accused of covering up the jerry sandusky sexual abuse scandal. here is steve paterson. >> reporter: a celebration before every football game at penn state. but today the focus was on another ceremony for a controversial figure.

paterno honored on the 50th anniversary of his first game of head coach. five years after he was fired accused of covering up sexual abuse by former coach jerry sandusky. paterno died two months after being fired. editors of the student-run newspaper condemned today's decision saying "this is our penn state. a penn state without joe paterno. those of us are ready to move on." during the game a standing ovation after tributes to paterno shown during breaks. the university said today's activities will focus on "quote the commitment that paterno had to student athletes and athletics." in the stands some temple fans turned their backs in protest. in 2012 jerry sandusky was sentenced 30 to 60 years in prison for abusing ten boys he met through his charity of troubled children. paterno was never

incident involving jerry sandusky to university officials. but court documents released this year revealed claims that he knew what was happening as far back as 1976. >> you think it's not the right time to be honoring him. >> reporter: praise and protests today at penn state. steve paterson, nbc news. still ahead this saturday night. the new air traffic controller upgrades that could get you to your next destination quicker. plus, you owned your car for four years. you named it brad. you loved brad. and then you totaled him. you two had been through everything together. two boyfriends, three jobs... you're like nothing can replace brad. then liberty mutual calls... and you break into your happy dance. if you sign up for better car replacement?, we'll pay for a car that's a model year newer with 15,000 fewer miles than your old one. liberty stands with you?.

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we're back with dramatic improvements coming to america's air traffic controller towers that could make your next flight easier. long push to give faa controllers and pilots the latest computer technology. it's the same technology we use every day in our homes and cars. here is tom costello. >> 4375. >> reporter: 6 p.m. in the salt lake city tower. >> alpha -- >> reporter: the evening push is in

overdue upgrade is underway that could mean faster flights and fewer delays. >> turn right. >> >> reporter: phasing out the rapid-clipped radio chatter between pilots and controllers discussing flight traffic, weather, and replaced with text file transfers to the cockpit. >> we hit enter wait >> reporter: what has been a 15 to 20 minute process cut to just seconds. >> rather than me having to manually type and enter the information after listening to it. i can uplink this into our flight management computer and modify the route. >> reporter: the flight route automatically transferred to the flight deck through a system called data con. reducing the risk for miscommunication and dangerous errors. by the end of the

as part of the faa's next-gen roll out allowing for faster routing around traffic congestion and severe weather. >> it reduces comptroller workload. enables us to expedite flights more quickly and safely. >> reporter: there's the added benefit of cutting the fuel bill. delta airlines estimates by cutting the weight by a minute, they save $20 million system wide. so far, eight u.s. airlines and 17 international carriers agreed to add the technology to their planes. >> he's ready to be take off. he can be taxied and good to go. >> reporter: hopefully making the skies faster and safer. tom costello. with my moderate to severe crohn's disease,... ...i was always searching for ways to manage my symptoms. i thought i had it covered. then i realized managing was all i was doing. when i finally told my doctor, he said humira was for people like me

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we're back with a death-defying act more than 40 years in the making. professional stunt man eddie braun launched him across idaho's snake river canyon. braun reached an 400 miles per hour before parachuting in a field. the 54-year-old said the stunt was inspired by his childhood hero evil knievel who was unsuccessful in his

literary world tonight. tony award and pulitzer prize winning playwright edward al by died yesterday. best known for his play "who is afraid of virginia wolf." albee had more than 30 plays in all. he was 88 years old. and the man that wrote the noefl "shoeless joe" wp con sell will almost 30 picks of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry much touching on baseball. "if you build it he will come" is a line from him. he was 81 years old. when we come back the remarkable technology bringing the deaf and hearing technology bringing the deaf and hearing ? ?

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sfwlachlt tonight's making it happen is brought to you by serve pro. helping make fire and water damage like it never happened. to a story about how one business is finding success with the help of technology. technology enabling those of who dream having a successful business. how one restaurant is making it happen. >> reporter: it's the sound of oven-baked authenticity. just the right amount of crispy.

melody stein and her husband russ are deaf. making neapolitan pizza is their fashion. over the last two years, they've employed an all-deaf staff. >> our goal is to build bridges with the community and with various cultures. >> reporter: to reach everyone more hungry customers, they turn to technical. installing a custom-made system by a company called convo to answer the phone. >> translator: we wanted to make sure that we could communicate with the customers. the majority will be he the pizzeria and instead of a ring the green light glows. melody picks up via a tablet. convo routes you tow an interpreter. she responds through the service. >> translator: we weren't sure how it would work for us. went ahead and took the gamble. >> translator: we used to miss 50% of the

>> reporter: that sets convo apart. the ceo is also deaf. >> translator: improving the quality of life for deaf-owned businesses and consumers. >> reporter: the service is provided by the fcc and financed by a small tax on phone bills. >> translator: i'll confirm your reservation. >> reporter: it has a solid four stars on yelp. customers often don't realize it's deaf-owned until they arrived. >> translator: you would be shocked home people don't notice it. it's just another restaurant for them. which is how it should be. >> reporter: bringing deaf and hearing customers to the table. >> translator: as they put the pizza in their mouth, their face tells you everything. >> reporter: proving pizza is a universal language. that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday.

thank you for the privilege of your

the tightening presidential race in ohio. voters will decide whether to raise the minimum range but not until next year. in seven minutes, we beat the prior changing the face of dance in northeast ohio. first between lines starts right now. we look at the political landscape in northeast ohio. with henry gomez. >> and eventful week, two new polls, bloomberg and cnn. showing donald trump with a